


Lost and Found

by Anonymous



Category: Red Dead Redemption
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-14 18:13:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17513477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: On his way home from a job, Arthur Morgan finds a young, injured omega. He decides to take him home.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I haven't written in a long time, so this fic might be a bit stiff and awkward at times, but I just needed to get it out of my system. It's not beta read and I wrote this chapter all in one go and edited it around midnight, so there are probably mistakes. I'm also not a native speaker, so I'm sure some of the things I type sound uuuuh weird? I try my best though. Hope you enjoy it, still!

The sun was already hanging low in the sky when Arthur rode out of Strawberry and started uphill. He was tired, returning home from a bounty hunt that took him three states over and exhausted both his body and mind. The murderer he brought back to Strawberry's sheriff was vicious, fought dirty and managed to land quite a few good punches on Arthur before he finally overtook him and tied him up. He was also chatty, providing commentary for Arthur's every move, threatening bloody murder and demanding to be let go. Arthur was glad he was wanted alive, otherwise he would've killed him somewhere along the way, if only to shut him up. The murderer's bounty was high enough to sustain Arthur and his mate, Charles, for a good couple of months, and that knowledge placated him some.

Arthur was eager to get home, but decided to stop and rest for a bit. His mare was tired too, huffing beneath him and struggling along the incline. Saddlebags filled with supplies must've been hard on her, especially after the long journey they had.

He found a nice spot beneath the trees, off the road, and dismounted there. The air was still, but sharp and chilly, and Arthur hoped he would make do without having to start a fire. His horse huffed gratefully when he removed her saddle and bridle, and let her graze nearby. Arthur settled under one of the trees and started on a can of peaches he fished out of his satchel.

Arthur missed his mate. It has been close to two weeks since he last saw Charles and he couldn't wait to have him near, feel his solid body next to his in the night, surround himself with Charles' comforting scent. Being apart wasn't new for the two alphas; they both did what they had to do to make a living, but it was always hard. Arthur was eager to be on his way, but allowed his thoughts to wander a little while longer.

The darkness settled around Arthur and the cold sneaked its way beneath his coat. He's had a good hour of rest, and saw no point in staying any longer. Arthur brushed his horse, bribed her with a carrot and put her saddle and bridle back on. He lit up his lantern, took hold of his horse's reins, and started back toward the road. Distracted by his thoughts, watching tall grass illuminated by the weak shine of the lantern in front of him, Arthur missed a figure shuffling away from the light up the road. The sharp scent of sour apples, underlain with a distinct scent of rot, was harder to miss. It was an omega's scent, Arthur realized as he sniffed the air. A distressed omega, hurt, with a broken bond, judging by the rotten smell. Arthur knew the omega could smell him too, and he was sure it was the scent of an alpha that sent the omega running. It was dark and dangerous for anyone to be alone, especially an omega with such a strong scent. Arthur sped up and managed to catch a quick glance at the omega boy under the light of his lantern, his scared, wide, dark eyes before he turned and ran further up the road. So much for having a relaxed ride back home. Arthur cursed and sprinted after the boy, his horse trotting behind him. It wasn’t hard to catch up to him; the boy was exhausted, panting and struggling to run uphill, turning every couple of moments to see if Arthur was still following.

“Hey! Stop there!”, Arthur called, trying to keep his voice level. The boy didn’t listen, just kept struggling forward. Arthur cursed. Having caught up to the boy some, he could see that he was limping, trying to keep the weight off his left leg.

“You don’t have to run from me, boy,” Arthur tried again, following the boy, but keeping his distance “I ain’t gonna hurt you”. He could hear the boy panting, frantic wheezy breaths leaving his mouth as he turned to look at Arthur again. His eyes were wild with fear and Arthur lifted his hands in a placating gesture, trying to appear calm and nonthreatening. Calming people was Charles’ forte, and Arthur wished for his mate by his side for what seemed like a hundredth time that day. Suddenly, the boy staggered over a rock and fell forward with a startled yelp, catching himself on his palms before he hit the ground. Arthur stopped in his tracks, and the boy faced him, still sitting on the ground, quickly pulling a dagger out of his boot and unsheathing it, pointing the sharp end at Arthur. His eyes were swimming with tears.

“St-stay away from me!” tears spilled over his sunken cheeks, he clutched the dagger for dear life, shaking like a leaf. The boy braced his right leg into the dirt, trying to push himself away from the alpha. Arthur stepped forward and crouched in front of the boy, careful to stay away from the dagger.

“I told you to stay away! I’m going t-to kill you, I-I swear it!” Arthur could see the boy’s face clearly now. Dark hair long and dirty, scraggly facial hair, a couple of deep scars marring one cheek, one of his eyes bruised. He was skinny, Arthur could see that much even through all the layers the boy was wearing. The scent of rot clinging to him was much more prominent up close.

“Listen, if I wanted to hurt you, I woulda’ already done it,” Arthur tried, forcing himself to remain calm, his scent to stay as neutral as possible. The boy sniffed.

“I don’t believe you. Why were you following me if you ain’t gonna hurt me?”

“I wasn’t following you, you was in my way,” Arthur said, exhaling tiredly, “and I could help you, if you’d let me.”

“I don’t need no alpha’s help, you hear. Leave me be.” The boy wasn’t crying anymore, but his breathing was still labored and fast, hands still shaking, his dagger still pointed at Arthur’s throat.

“You ain’t got to worry ‘bout me being an alpha, boy. I’m just tryna help. What were you even thinking going off by yourself like this? Where are you headed anyway? You know there are only mountains up this road? You ain’t even got a horse to carry you.” The boys mouth pulled into a frown, his brows furrowing. Arthur could see the cogs turning in his head, thinking of what to say to make Arthur leave. But Arthur was a fool, he wasn't leaving until he made the boy follow him home, to safety, no matter how long it took. He thought of Charles again, how he wouldn’t be able to face him if he left the omega on the road by himself, surely sentenced to death, one way or another.

“You got no business asking me where I’m headed, mister. And I got my horse stolen! I really don’t need anymore folks tryna get me to go with them so that they can have their way with me. I know how you alpha fellers are, I’ve seen it all.”

“Well, today might just be your lucky day, then. I ain’t any of them _alpha fellers_ you’ve seen. I’m just tryna offer my help. You’re hurt and lost, and I live not far from here, the house is nice and warm. My mate is waiting for me and I bet he got something nice cooked up, too.” Arthur watched the boy sniff the air and frown again.

“You don’t smell like you’re mated.” The boy sounded unconvinced.

“Well,” Arthur pulled aside his coat and shirt collar, showing off the mating mark Charles gave him little over four years ago. It was a neat, round bite mark nestled where his neck met his shoulder. Arthur always wore it with pride.

“I am mated. He’s an alpha too, so you ain’t able to smell it as easy.” The boy’s eyed widened.

“Your mate's an alpha, too?” he asked with genuine curiosity, and Arthur didn’t blame him. Alphas mating with alphas and omegas mating with omegas was still a taboo, and most people looked down on anyone who did it. The prejudice they faced was one of the reasons Arthur and Charles settled down in the mountains and cut almost all contact with _the civilization_.

“Yeah. It happens and it's fine.” Arthur said and the boy frowned.

“I know it's fine. It's just... rare, I guess.” Arthur answered with a non-committal hum.

“Look. I ain’t gonna do anything to you. My mate ain’t gonna do anything to you, either. You have my word. The only thing we might do is look at that bad ankle of yours, feed you and give you somewhere warm to sleep, if you let us. That's it. I’ll let you ride Calliope, too.” The boy eyed the black mare standing behind Arthur. He was thinking, again, weighing his options, no doubt. Arthur stayed quiet and waited, studying boy’s face. Even though his scars, sunken cheeks and facial hair made him look older, Arthur suspected he was in his late teens, twenty, at most. He wondered what made him desperate enough to make a trek into wilderness all by himself. It had to have something to do with the bruises on his face, or the fact that the bond with his mate was broken recently. Arthur didn’t want to ask yet. If he tried to push the boy to talk, he was sure to clam up and refuse. It was best to let these things run their course, Arthur mused. What he needed to do first was make the boy trust Arthur and let him take him to safety.

“I don’t wanna be in the house with two alphas.” The boy admitted, after a couple of beats. He was looking at his hands resting in his lap, at the dagger he was still holding. Uncertain. Nervous.

“You want me to take you back to Strawberry? Get you a room there?” Arthur tried. The boy looked up at him, eyes wide. He shook his head.

“N-no. There’s... I can’t go back there. No.” the boy looked away again, thinking.

“Was your horse stolen in Strawberry?” Arthur asked.

“Yeah.”

“Got that bruise there, too?”

“No, that was before.” the boy sheathed his knife absentmindedly, returned it to his boot and drew his legs towards his chest, wrapping his arms around them.

“What’s your name, then? The question returned boys attention back to Arthur.

“John.”

“John. I’m Arthur. It’s good to meet you.” Arthur took a chance and extended his open palm towards John. He looked at it for a couple of beats, his brows furrowing again, before he extended his own hand and squeezed Arthur’s in a timid handshake. A step forward, Arthur thought.

“You coming, then?” John scratched the back of his neck. Arthur noticed he didn’t smell distressed anymore. It seemed that all the fight has left him, leaving exhaustion in its wake. He sighed and nodded.

“Okay, I’ll come with you.” A victory. Arthur barely suppressed a huge grin from overtaking his features. He was still reluctant to be anything but calm in front of the boy, unsure if any changes in his scent would upset John all over again. Arthur stood up and offered John his hand.

“But,” John started, his eyes darkening “if either you or your mate try anything, I’ll kill you.”

“Noted.” Arthur said and pulled John to his feet. John staggered some, trying to find his balance without putting too much weight onto his bad leg. Arthur let him grab his arm for support. He didn’t dare touch the boy anywhere else without his direct permission.

“Common, let me help you up.” Arthur offered once they made their way to Calliope. She nosed at Arthur’s coat sleeve.

“No, I got it, I can get up by myself.” John said, mounting the mare with relative ease, only wincing when his bad ankle was jostled.

“Ready to go?” Arthur asked, patting Calliope’s neck and taking her reins again.

“Yeah.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is here! Un-betaed! I switched to John's POV in this one and also big executive decisions were made, such as 'What to Name Charles' and Arthur's Dog' and 'What Furniture to Put in Charles' and Arthur's Cabin'. I hope you enjoy it!!

At sixteen, John has grown tall and gangly. His limbs too long and awkward, his body thin. He grew into it eventually, learning to carry himself with purpose and grace, but his body never filled out in ways an omega's body should, his stomach remained concave and hard, his hips narrow and bony. John never minded his physical appearance much. He knew the big scars on his face put people off, his build made him look more like an underfed beta than a healthy omega. He knew his quiet and aloof demeanor was something he should exchange in favor of a soft coyness an omega should possess. John also knew it wouldn't make much of a difference even if he tried to squeeze himself into that omega mold, for life has left much more than just physical scars on him, and it showed.

Having mated just as he turned eighteen seemed like an escape. The beta who asked for his hand in bond was quite a bit older than him, handsome and kind, a traveling merchant who visited their small town every summer and stayed for a month or so. How he saw anything in John through his one-word answers and a thin, indifferent line of his mouth was beyond him, but the merchant took a liking to John, making a point of courting him with gifts and grand gestures. John liked him, despite how hard it was to admit that he wasn't above his biology, and that the attention he received felt good, that it made him feel like a real omega for once in his life. On a more practical side of things, John knew that mating would finally free him from the rancid old town he lived in, and from the tyranny his old aunt and uncle put him through since his parents passed.

They left one early summer morning a couple of days after John's eighteenth birthday. The beta was elated, his arm secure around John's waist even as he steered the horses along the dirt road. John was content. He got the new beginning he secretly craved, a mate and freedom, and the early morning sun warming his face seemed like an omen of all good to come his way. He'd even dare say, at that moment, that he was happy. John received his bonding bite that very evening, in the back of his mate's wagon. It hurt, it even brought him to tears, but the warmth and love he felt for his mate greatly outweighed any discomfort he might've felt. Sleeping intertwined with his mate that night, John felt truly content and cared for.

*

The ride to Arthur's home was quiet. The night air only got colder as they slowly progressed up the road and it made John shiver involuntarily. He watched Arthur's back from his perch on horseback, watched his measured steps and the lantern swinging somberly in his grip. Weeks of running on little sleep and food seemed to be catching up to John, and he would've surely just slumped over the horse's neck and gone to sleep if it wasn't for the cold and the constant throbbing pain in his ankle. John thought about the situation he was in. His thoughts were chaotic, and a part of him feared that the decision to let a complete stranger take him home might've been a very foolish one. He was tired of running. Tired of living, too, and if it was all to end in this stranger's home, he would accept it with open arms. Losing his mate, his whole life, made him hopeless, apathetic and raw, like an open wound left untreated.

Before long, Arthur led Calliope off the road and through the trees. They found themselves on a smaller dirt road, and in the distance, through the trees, John could see the orange light of a lantern. Arthur's cabin was tucked neatly in a small valley, hidden by the trees surrounding it. It was hard to see anything else through the darkness, but the light in the windows looked inviting and warm. There was boisterous barking coming somewhere from behind the house and John stiffened in the saddle. A big dog was the last thing he wanted to deal with. Arthur must've noticed a spike of anxiety in his scent.

"That's just our old Tippet, she ain't gonna do nothing to you," Arthur reassured, "she's guarding the goats for the night." That comforted John some, but he grew nervous all over again as the front door of the cabin opened.

A man stood in the doorway, illuminated by the light from the inside of the house. He was large, both tall and broad, even more so than Arthur. That must've been Arthur's mate, John thought, as the man stepped into the light and started towards them hastily. His handsome face was illuminated by a big smile, and his long, dark hair fell over one of his shoulders in a neat braid. John watched as Arthur fell into the other man's arms as soon as he was close enough, burying his face in his mate's neck. Quiet words were exchanged between the two, and then they kissed, deeply. John felt like he was intruding, but he couldn't make himself look away. One of the man's hands was tangled in Arthur's hair and the other was cupping his face tenderly. Arthur had his free arm wrapped around his mate's waist and clutching his shirt in a tight fist.

It was somewhat strange, seeing two alphas hold each other so tenderly. John's experience taught him that alphas only got that close if they were family, or if they were fighting. The display of affection suddenly reminded John of his late mate, and he had to look away, remembering how it felt to be held like that, something he had lost forever a mere fortnight ago. It brought bitter tears to his eyes, and he squeezed his eyes shut, breathing deeply through his nose, trying to keep his emotion at bay. It seemed Arthur and his mate weren't going to hurt him after all, but making a fool of himself by crying for no reason sounded just as dreadful to John. He pushed his emotions down and schooled his expression back to something neutral. Arthur separated from his mate and, after delicately tucking a stray strand of hair behind his ear, he approached John.

"Come on, let me help you down, boy," Arthur extended his arms towards John, and he shook his head quickly.

"It's fine, I can get down by myself," John insisted and swung his good leg over the horse, sitting sideways in the saddle. Arthur placed one hand on John's knee to stop him from jumping off the horse. He looked at him pointedly and waited for John to change his mind. And John would've jumped, given a choice. It was foolish, but he didn't like feeling helpless, and every little act of kindness from Arthur made him feel like he was racking up a debt towards the alpha. Jumping would've hurt his ankle more, but his pride would've taken one less blow. Trapped, he sighed and accepted Arthur's help with a quiet 'okay'.

Arthur's mate had kind eyes. His scent was one of the fresh pine needles, an undertone of which he smelled mixed with Arthur's heady ginger scent earlier. He introduced himself as Charles, his voice deep and smooth, pronunciation proper, a contrast to a rough drawl Arthur spoke in. Charles pointed them in the direction of the cabin, promising he'd be right with them, as soon as he got Calliope untacked and ready for the night. Arthur thanked him with another, albeit more chaste, kiss on the mouth, and led John towards the cabin.

The inside of the cabin was spacious and cozy. There was a fireplace going against the very far wall of the cabin, and to the left, there was an open door leading to a bedroom. There wasn't much furniture: a table with four chairs near the entrance, the kitchen to the right, a small cot near the fireplace under a window and a bookcase right next to it. Albeit simple, the cabin looked lived in, decorated with unique looking wooden trinkets and decorations on the walls, colorful tablecloths, curtains, and rugs, as well as furs and cushions thrown over the cot. It was warm and clean, as well, and the air held the unmistakable scents of the cabin's owners.

Arthur helped John settle onto the cot, and elevated his ankle on one of the chairs he brought from the table.

"Let's get some food in ya," Arthur said, walking towards the kitchen. John felt bad for having to be fussed over; the man just arrived home and he couldn't even rest because of John's presence. "how do eggs and some meat sound?"

"Alright," John settled back into the cushions lining the cot while Arthur busied himself in the kitchen. It felt good to finally be somewhere warm, away from the elements and bad people. John was almost sure that Arthur and Charles wouldn't hurt him. He allowed himself to relax, exhaustion finally taking over him.

The sound of a chair scraping over the hardwood floor made John jolt awake. He hasn't even noticed he dozed off. His eyes settled on Charles who was just settling in a chair next to the cot.

"John," he started, with a small, reassuring smile, "Arthur told me there's something wrong with your leg?" John's eyes flickered to Arthur, who was sitting at the table and wolfing down his dinner, by the looks of it. Charles noticed.

"Would you like to eat first?" John nodded, and Charles helped him up and sat him down at the table. He was served a couple of fried eggs, a piece of meat and some bread. Charles settled next to Arthur, and they spoke in hushed tones while John ate. He heard Arthur tell Charles about bounty hunting, about the criminal he caught who nearly drove him insane on the ride back to Strawberry, and how he wasn't planning to go on any bounty hunts for a good while after that one. Charles promised to go with him next time, and in turn, told him about his hunting trips, and about somebody called Sadie and Abigail, who came over a couple days ago and picked up some chickens for their ranch. According to Charles, Sadie and Abigail were sad to have missed Arthur, so they're going to have to visit them soon.

John did his best to pretend he wasn't intently listening, but paying keen attention to his food instead. He was sure he wasn't fooling anybody, but he still kept his head in the plate. The talk about bounty hunting worried him some. It took a certain kind of person to become a bounty hunter, he knew that. One ready to travel great distances, live in bad conditions, to hurt people and even kill. He's seen bounty hunters before, milling around the sheriff's office in the town he grew up in, mean-looking men with little to no regard for anyone except themselves. Nobody had a kind word to say about them, and the townsfolk seemed to tolerate their impudent behavior only because they got the job done. The bounty hunters John met must've been an anomaly since Arthur and Charles seemed nothing like that. Or, perhaps, it was the other way around.

John's thoughts drifted away. He thought about earlier that night, how he felt like a cornered animal when Arthur found him, how he was never more certain about anything than he was about his own death in that moment. It seemed distant, as if he was looking at it through a fog, and his current predicament left him feeling strangely content. He still felt pain, the seemingly neverending throbbing of the broken bond in his chest. He was still worried; these alphas might act all nice now, but nobody could guarantee that they won't turn on him as soon as they realize that he can't give them much in return. He was still weak and lost, but for just a little while, he allowed himself to feel hopeful, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who is reading, commenting, leaving kudos and all that good stuff! Tell me what you thought of this chapter, too ♥

**Author's Note:**

> Leave me a comment, let me know what you think!


End file.
